Preview and pick for Game 5 of the Sixers/Hawks series

There is so much that rides on the health of Joel Embiid. The center for the Philadelphia 76ers, who was just named second team All-NBA, was badly hampered on Monday when the Atlanta Hawks drew even in their best-of-seven series.

So now we've got Game 5, slated for 7:35 PM ET. And remember that at BetOnline, you've got so many ways to get in the action, with lots and lots of prop bets, not to mention real-time wagering during the game itself (the "Live Betting" option).

Embiid had truly been sailing along in a rather dominant way, as he blitzed the Hawks for 106 points in three games. There was seemingly no way for Atlanta to defend him without sending him to the free throw line, where he's been deadly accurate (85.9% in the regular season).

But there was some good fortune that came the Hawks' way, out of Embiid's ill-fortune. The big guy has been playing in the postseason with a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee; something that he has been able to play through most of the time, but has also brought him to a crawl at other times.

Well, things went the wrong way for him in Game 4 on Monday night, which we're going to talk about in a moment.

In the NBA playoff odds that have been posted at BetOnline, the Sixers are favored:

Philadelphia 76ers -7 (-107)
Atlanta Hawks +7      (-113)

Over 224 points -115
Under 224 points -105

The knee started to really act up on Embiid in Game 4, and had an especially deleterious effect in the second half of play, when he went 0-for-12 for the field. For the entire game, he hit only four field goals. He simply was not able to get any elevation on his jump, and that made him ordinary at best.

To his credit, Embiid did make all eight of his free throw attempts, but the rest of his game wasn't there.

So now what?

Well, he's going to get treatment, for sure, but we wonder whether he'll be able to handle the grind of 36-40 minutes. Keep in mind that when the Sixers don't have Embiid on the floor, they have suffered most from a defensive standpoint, as they were outscored by 13 points for every 100 possessions.

Dwight Howard, Embiid's backup, an eight-time All-Star who has also been Defensive Player of the Year, doesn't have much doubt that Embiid is going to be a force.

“I think he’s gonna come back and have an amazing game,” Howard told reporters.

Clint Capela, Atlanta's center, is a defensive standout who was also the league's leading rebounder. So it's going to be interesting to see how he deals with Embiid. You've got to imagine that Hawks coach Nate McMillan, who excelled with this roster after taking over from Lloyd Pierce, is going to dial up a formula to take Embiid out of his favored position.

And then there is always the alternate (or supplemental) strategy of fouling Ben Simmons, who has not been able to shake the, well, shakes, he's had at the free throw line. Simmons went 1-for-5 on Monday and is now at 34% for the playoffs. He's not going to do his team any good at the charity stripe.

We'll take the points.

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